Bridgerton actress Arséma Adeoluwayemi Hamera has urged Tom Holland to speak out in support of his Romeo and Juliet co-star Francesca Amewudah-Rivers.
Last month, it was confirmed that Francesca had been cast to play Juliet in a West End production of the Shakespeare tale, which will star Tom as Romeo.
However, she was later met with a “barrage of deplorable racial abuse” over the diverse casting.
Arséma starred in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story as young Lady Danbury.
She took to Instagram to share a plea from actress Selina Jones urging the Spiderman actor to speak up and wrote: “So bloody true.”
The Jamie Lloyd Company, who are putting on the Shakespeare production, released a statement denouncing the shocking backlash at their casting.
It read: “Following the announcement of our Romeo & Juliet cast, there has been a barrage of deplorable racial abuse online directed towards a member of our company. This must stop.”
“We are working with a remarkable group of artists. We insist that they are free to create work without facing online harassment.”
“We will continue to support and protect everyone in our company at all costs. Any abuse will not be tolerated and will be reported.”
It continued: “Bullying and harassment have no place online, in our industry or in our wider communities.”
“Our rehearsal room is full of joy, compassion and kindness. We celebrate the extraordinary talent of our incredible collaborators.”
“The Romeo & Juliet community will continue to rehearse with generosity and love, and focus on the creation of our production.”
